Merseyside and North Wales
Electricity Board
Editorial Office: Room GE26
Head Office, Sealand Road,
Chester CH1 4lR
Tel: Chester (02441 377111
Internal: 2933/4/5
Vol. 39.
No.7
WE send our sincere congratulations
to three MANWEB people who were
honoured by Her Majesty The Queen
in the Birthday Honours list.
JULY 1987
F RBI H
-top priority for the
extension of the programme
~
Joan Dittrich was awarded theMBE.
She is the only lady engineer in MANWEB and she is responsible for the
development of electrical catering
equipment. Joan joined MANWEB
in 1950 and became a demonstrator
during the massive rural electrification
programme. Later she devoted her
C.l7D.ra:'e~c
to seJJins catering equipment
to the hotel trade on the North Wales
coast. She was appointed to the Head
Office staff in 1970 as an energy sales
engineer, to specialise in catering.
Joan is married, and she and her
husband, Walter, have a grown-up
son, and they live in Connahs Quay,
Deeside.
Robert Adamson received the BEM.
He is a financial control foreman in
Liverpool District and was selected
for the award in recognition of his
work in dealing with customers. He
has a team of 26 and considers the
award is as much for them as for
himself. Bobby told 'CONTACT' : "]
do feel highly honoured to be chosen,
but] think that it is a recognition of the
work of all the lads and girls in the
section-in fact in the whole District. "
Bobby joined MANWEB in 1968
as an electrician . He is married, and
he and his wife , Norma, have a son ,
Karl.
Richard de Zouche, a part-time
Board Member, received the OBE.
He is a chartered accountant in Liverpool and has been a member of the
Industrial Development Council for
the past ten years. He is a past chairman of the Merseyside Chamber of
Commerce and a former treasurer of
the Chamber, and is now treasurer of
the Association of Chambers of Commerce .
ENSURING that customers had a safe and secure supply of
electricity into the next century is the Number One priority
of MANWEB Engineering Director, Denis Farquhar. He
told his management colleagues at their annual conference
that further development of the refurbishment programme
was urgently needed.
He and his management team from Head Office gave
comprehensive and forceful presentation of their case. Mr.
Farquhar outlined the history and the present state of the
network. He illustrated with slides the progress being made
and the need for an enhanced programme. This challenge
. must be faced now, and he called for a fresh and innovative
approach to engineering in MANWEB.
The extent of the challenge was
presented by John Powell, Engineering Manager, System Operation and
Planning. Using graphs and statistics,
he described how the major portion
of the MANWEB network was built
in the 1960s and much of this plant
was now nearing the end of its working
life. The strategy for refurbishment of
the network was based on a steady
build-up of resources, arriving at a
plateau which would be reached "for
ever" , on the principal of painting the
Forth Bridge-once the job was completed at one end, it was time to start
at the other again.
Some of the buildings which held
the equipment were in a sorry state,
Harry Foreman, Civil Engirieering and
r
".. I
-.-.-.-p.-a-st-e-red--W-jt-h-gr-a-m-t-j-.-.-.-,
Building Manager told the conference.
Vandals had badly abused some sub
station buildings and plastered them
with graffiti--slides of which made a
light-hearted interlude. However, Mr.
Foreman stressed the MAN WEB
obligation to maintain secure and safe
sub station buildings and compounds,
in the interests of the health and
welfare of the public and of a reliable
electricity supply.
The practical aspects of getting the
engineering work done are the responsibility of Plant and Construction
Manager Stan Roberts. To ensure that
KATE
PLACED
THIRD
AGAIN
THE MANWEB representative
in the Ladies' Section of the
Electricity Council's Public
Speaking Competition found
herself placed third for the
second year running.
Kate Jacks, from Liverpool
District, has won the MANWEB Area final for the past
two years, and, in . the 1986
event held at London's Connaught Rooms, she over-ran
her allotted time, but she still
managed third place.
Her colleague from Liverpool
District, Paul Dobson, repre-
)
Head Office engineer Peter Jones, right, explains an exhibit to, from left to
right: Chairman Bryan Weston, Appliance Marketing Manager Warwick
Saunders, Energy Marketing Manager Bryan Ogden and Financial Manager
-Income Alan Wadcock. The managementteam broke from their conference
to visit the Engineering Exhibition at Clwyd Office
the programme was carried out efficiently, there had to be changes in
work practices, better planning and a
high degree of mechanisation-all
designed to increase productivity. The
quality of the work had to last for at
least 40 years. To emphasise his points,
he showed three videos, one of which
was by British Gas, and showed their
pipe-laying procedure.
WEB had been deeply involved in
developing, and would be used to help
reshape future networks.
Mr. Turner explained several technical development strategies, one of
which was the elimination of the
33,000-volt network in rural areas,
and the possible eventual replacement
of the 1l,000-volt system with one of
20,000 volts. Using a computer simulation, he demonstrated the use of
network automation to improve supply
• • • key to the future • • •
security , using less plant and greatly
simplified sub stations, which would
Newest member of the Engineering cost about a third as much as the
present sub station. Finally, he desManagement team is John Turner,
cribed how a computerised "corporate
Technical Engineering Manager, and,
at the conference, he concentrated on database" could help to improve
future developments and the implica- efficiency and service to the customer.
The whole engineering management
tions of introducing new technology
into MANWEB. The "key to the team in their combined assault left no
future" was how he described the doubt about the strength of their case
micro-processor relay. This was a for further refurbishment of the netdigital protection system which MAN- work. Their presentation, entitled The
Highway to the Customer, ensured
that it would be one trodden by MANsented MANWEB in the men's
WEB. Commenting on the combined
competition. He did extremely
effort, MANWEB Chairman Bryan
well, but was not able to get
Weston commented: "This is the best
into the first three.
engineering presentation] have seen in
30 years".
Paul can have another crack
To further his case , Denis Farquhar
at the first place next year,
invited his colleagues to an engineering
should he win the MANWEB
exhibition at the Clwyd District Office.
final, but Kate now has to withThis comprised two Portacabins locked
draw from the competition, as
together to give a large display area
the rules allow only two appearfor the various sections to show their
ances in the final.
exhibits. This mobile exhibition will
Our congratulations to both
tour the area, and show staff and
speakers for performing so well
customers the extent of the technology
and flying the MANWEB flag
and expertise used to bring electricity
with distinction.
to the public.
It EXHIBITION PICTURES PAGE 5
CONTACT Page 2
~IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII 11111 11111111 1111111111111111111 11111 11II1I1I1II1II1JJ!:i
I Liverpool Fe help MANWEB I
~
score
Long Service
I
Wi;~~~~ebUsiness
OUR congratulations to the
following members of
MANWEB staff who have
completed, during the
month of June , 40, 30 or 20
years' service in the
electricity supply industry.
40 YEARS-North Wirral
District: Bill James
(craftsman electrical fitting).
30 YEARS-Liverpool
District: James Blair (craft
attendant). Clwyd District:
Arfon Thomas (Commercial
foreman).
20 YEARS-Liverpool
District: Brian Beacham
(meter attendant), Marie
Sweeney (cleaner) and John
Turner (craftsmanmechanical fitting) .
~ INDUSTRY and commerce between them use nearly 70 per cent ~
~ of the electricity sold by MANWEB. It includes the highest
~ proportion of industrial sales of units for any Electricity Board
~ ID t~e cou.ntry. It ~ a vast market that is constantly changing,
~ and ID which there IS some very stiff competition.
~ The Commercial Department are constantly seeking ways to
=
t0 th e b usmess
.
. trymg
, to persuade them to
~ sell
.
commumty,
~ Invest in the electric answer to their problems , MANWEB
~ sponsor PEP and Beta Awards, which reward the industrialist
=
' f r,o~ commerce for therr
. enterprising and
~ an d ,th e compames
§ efficI~nt use of electnclty-from which they have already had
~ practIcal
benefits, such as heating ' lighting and motive power '
==
h
§ t e many pr~ces~s and developments, some wholly electric and
~ others workmg m tandem with other fuels--all aimed at the
'
fl' .
~ wIser use 0 e ectnclty and cuttin~ the energy bill.
§ . The effort ,d~es not only go mto selling more, but is also
~ directed at shIftmg the peak demand of larger users. The more
§ electricity used at peak periods, the more expensive for the big
=
~ cust omer an d fo~ MANWEB '. who have to pay more to the
~ CEGB . Persu~dmg the large mdustrialists to shift their load
~ from peak penods helps all MANWEB customers, including
§ the domestic sector.
=(
_.
i
~
§
~
~
~
~
~
§
~
~
~
§
§
~
~
~
_
~
~
~
§
~
~
~
~
~
~
§
~
§
~
~
~
==
~ow
~
~
~ " •• "'. '
~ , •• ~.* •• ;t ',
E' ~,: • • <
.
§
t ... *.' ..• :~':. :.'\ ...
=
* ~,.
~ I."
. .. ,."
......
.. II•.' -T ' . - . "' "...
l . I' .
,'#'
.. ' . .. . " ,.
§= • .• . ,.
It 111 . . . " .'O •.. •
§ ••' ~ • • - • • : - .. "
~ ••
- ...
==
, • • • .) ' .
§ • • . . . . . . '; 'I..~~ ..... . - . - • • ....
.~ • • • • • I
~ . . . . ~, •• ,. ~ .. <'"
§ • • .1. . . . . . . . •
~ • tIf... • • • ~
§ .~. . . . . . . . .
-~ ,""
.... .,.~
, ..., _ . ... ....
t.-••.:.... ',',
.
I.
Letters
~ ~I • e. - •••,
~ t . ' •• . e •• ••
= e_-.... e e. ' ..
§
Pictured above are, from left to right: Joan Dittrich, Judith Mcintyre, Mike Harrison and Peter Wynne
. .. a tough market-place, . .
)
I
Cooking ahead to 2000
Dear Sir,
I have just read in the local
press of the Board's intention to
hire executive boxes at Liverpool
FC for the 1987/88 season .
Frankly, I am amazed that we
are proposing to offer our valued
customers second-class entertainment, when the best football
show on earth is available only
half a mile away, at the School
of Science .
As I see it, the only likely
change in Liverpool FC's play
this year will be from "kick-andrush" to "kick-and-no-Rush".
Perhaps I have misjudged our
do the Commercial men and women meet the captains
of mdust!!' ~o get th~ message across?-by letter, bytelephone, ~
by advertIsmg, by literature, by providing news-sheets to set §
out the MANWEB stall. It is a tough market-place, and you ~
-MANWEB Conference for Catering Teachers
have to shout louder and make the same or better offers than ~
your competitors in order to. succeed.,
.
~ A CULINARY trip to the year 2000 and beyond latest of the Electricity Council
MANWEB sponsor meetmgs, semmars and events auned at ~ was arr
d f d ltd
h publications designed for caterspecialist markets, in the right setting of pleasant surroundings. ~
ange or e ega es an ~uests at t e ing colleges, entitled The Electric
O,ne such venue has been the magnificent Trophy Room of § MANWEB Conference for Catenng Teachers. Source Book, copies of which
LIverpool F<>?tball Club. No~ Anfield have ~on~ one .b etter- ~ Speakers demonstrated the latest in equipment were given to delegates.
The Taylorplan staff provided
they have built on, an ExecutI.ve ~unge.' w~ch ~s available on ~ and techniques to their specialist audience.
an excellent meal-judged to
match days to busmess orgamsatIons to mVIte clients to have a· §
Mid-Ch hir' J d'th M I n d
d'
be so by the very discerning
meal and watch the game. MANWEB have been fortunate in ~ ,
~s e SUI
C tyre .. emonstrate the m~u~obtaining a place in the lounge, before they were all snapped ~ tIO? hob, Its ~peed and controllab~lity. Even though this IS diners--which helped to make ConvnercMl colJR087..1PS; .on.,}';hOY
up .
~ SWItched on, It uses no energy untIl a ferrous pan is placed an excellent day for all of those
have chosen boxes which do not
~ on the hob-then it is the metal in the pan that heats up to who attended.
face the pitch? If that is not the
Richard Clague, Chairman of case, then please advise them
(
§ cook the food. Judith used a wok to cook some mouththe
Catering
Teachers
Associa•.. part of business practice. . .
~ watering stir-fried vegetables and chicken with sweet and
that I will be available for the
tion, opened the conference and "Derby" game to give technical
Commercial staff will host small groups of top businessmen ~ sour sauce
proposed a vote of thanks to advice on football matters to our
from Merseyside and North Wales and further afield in the ~ "SousVide"isacook-conserve lengthened their shelf-life. This
MANWEB and the catering less knowledgeable customers
highly-successful atmosphere of Eu;ope's leading footb~ club. ~ system being used by up-market -backed by his personal service
specialist, Joan Dittrich, in par- and other Liverpool FC seasonThe same sort of operation has proved successful for other § restaurants to maximise the skill and expert knowledge of meat
ticular, who had organised the ticket holders.
-meant
that
he
could
compete
Electricity Boards in top football grounds around the country, ~ and ~)Utput from their chefs.
event. This was supported by
in
the
market-place.
but they do not have a Liverpool!
~ Details of the scheme were exYours etc.
the whole audience.
The national catering specialSp~ns~rship is n.ow part of business practice and many ~ plained by Brian Dunne, from
George Harrison
Following the conference,
ist of the Electricity Council,
orgamsatlOns set asIde part of their publicity budget for such ~ Taylor Fr~eze (UK) Ltd.
(Nil Satis Nisi OptirnumMike
Harrison,
introduced
Joan
Dittrich
was
sent
a
diploma
deals, both in the private and public sector, and they are ~ There IS tough competition
Nothing But The Best Is
from the Catering Teachers
applauded by the press and television.
~ for the small butcher from the Christine Tomlinson, the DistGood Enough!)
Association for MANWEB , in
It seems strange then to be singled out for criticism from the § large multiple outlets, but one rict Catering Manager of British
Personnel Dept.,
recognition of the valuable sup- Head Office.
10calnewspaper-themouthpieceofMerseyside-theLive1pool ~ man who was holding his own Telecom, and between them
port and furthering of interest
Echo. Before the ink is dry on the contract, they are shouting § was Peter Wynne, a master they illustrated the design and
concept
of
the
all-electric
kitin the work of the Association, (I don 't know-you let them
about "~,~ boss~s living it up", and the Daily Post ~ but.cher from Deeside. ~e exwhich
had been signed by the mind the shield for the odd year,
chen,
which
had
been
installed
comments about Junketmg" and seeks condemnation from an ~ plamedhowvacuum-packingof
National President and the and they get all cocky and beMP.
~ . his fresh and cooked meats en- by British Telecom at Shrewscome instant experts.-Editor.)
National Chairman.
(
] ._= ~= _~ hanced the product and also bury. Mike then produced the
.
. .• to further business ineterests . . .
.
-------------------------.!-------------
-
~
=
J
Why do banks, finance houses, builders, contractors, ~
~ manufa~tu~ers and other businesses use part of their publicityl ~
§ appropnatlOn for such sales opportunities? They invite clients, §
§ and prospective clients, in their own time, to congenial surround-, §
§ ings, to develop contacts and to further their business interests. §
~ Advertising and publicity is part of the commercial side of ~
~ the MANWEB organisation, which is paid for out of the profits ~
~ from shops , contractmg, servicing and the additional unit sales ~
~ won each year. MANWEB sell British goods, help British ~
~ business and work with ~gencies to help to promote Merseyside ~
~ and bnng busmess and Jobs to the area .
~
~ Why does the Liverpool Echo get involved in sponsorship ~
~ suchasspeed-boats?In~helongrun,ithelpstosellnewspapers. ~
§ Part of MANWEB busmess is to sell electricity and electrical ~
§ products and this commercial aspect makes a profit, which goesl §
~ to the main energy account. We help business to expand, to ~
§ take on more staff and to bring back prosperity to Merseyside. §
§ The people of Merseyside and North Wales need the news §
§ media to shout their successes from the roof-tops, and not §
§ knock and niggle at every positive step. MANWEB want the §
~ whole region to be as successful as its two magnificent football ~
§ te~ms--Liverpool and Everton-and are using one of them to §
§ bnng that about
§
~
.
·r: ..:.· .. ":'\_." ".~ >:~~. :lO~,
~ ............. , ... ' - .. " l
~
~IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
MANWEB '
INDUSTRIAL
SEMINAR
10
uality of
electricity
supplies
to
,-ndustry'
Seminar. speakers, chairman and organiser, left to right: David Booth and John Acklan, district
eng,lneerln~ speakers; customer Roy Graham! of Joseph Crosfield Ltd" a speaker; Glyn Norbury,
chairman; ead Office engineering speaker Brian Nield; and organlser John Ellis, Energy Marketing
.
. ,
Engineer, Mid-Mersey
MANW~B V:I arnn~o~ staff were hosts to e~gI~eers from ~dustry allowing electricity supplies to reach our customers through
at a seml~ar m a Wmwlck hotel rec~ntly . Dlstnct engmeenng and "alternative routes" when there is damage or when a fault develops.
co~ercial staff, a .Head Office.engmeer and.a c~stomer presented
In the majority of cases, loss of supply is avoided, but switching
a vanety of, expenence for M.1d-Mersey Dlstnct Manager Glyn operations can momentarily affect the voltage wave-form. Most
Norbury to mtroduce as speakers.
customers are unaffected, but there can be problems for those
MANWEB's electricity distribution system is highly regarded with voltage-sensitive equipment.
.
throughout the industry because of the design of the system, which
The seminar set out to explain the quality of electricity supply
~ ensures a high level of security of supply.
which MANWEB
ali ticall
. t .
d ak
f
III 11111 III 1111 1111111 11111111 1111111 1111 1111 III IIIIIIIIIIIIIF.
The design concept provides an inter-connected network, tion devices
an m ers 0 protec-
outlin~;ssi~le re~:d:.am,
CONTACf Page4
Pictured left are, from left to right: Jim McLennan, Tomos Davies, Roy Fallows and Len Cornah
(LJCC Secretary).
Pictured above and immediately below are just a few ofthe lovely ladies of North Mersey District.
If we give the impression that the ladies seem to outnumber the men in North Mersey, we put it
down to the prejudice of our photographer who, as a consolation, did produce the bottom picture
of three handsome fellows
NORTH MERSEY LJCC OPEN MEETING
Fine ·Balad' and excellent Salad
IT was pouring with rain, but it did not seem to
dampen the spirit or reduce the attendance at the
North Mersey LJCC Open Meeting.
The District had moved the meeting to the summer, to avoid the
bad weather and cold nights of the winter. They even hired a
marquee to house the buffet meal. The food was excellent and the
atmosphere of warmth made up for the slightly chilly temperature.
Former District Commercial Manager Ken Appleton, left, now
at Head Office, with former District Administrative Manager
George Shoesmith, now retired
At what District Manager Jim
McLennan described as "the
best attended UCC meeting he
had ever seen", he welcomed
guests and former members of
the staff to Bridle Road. He
kept his comments brief, and it
was then the duty of the DCC
Chairman, Roy Fallows, to introduce the guest speaker. From
the most southerly District in
MANWEB - Aberystwyth Tomos Davies addressed the
staff of the most northerly Dist- .
rict.
Tomos, who won the national
public speaking competition two
years ago, recited The Ballad of
William Jones for, he says, the
very last time. It was his winning
talk for the public speaking contest, and it has earned him a
few dinners since.
Safety was the theme of the
talk, wrapped in a witty mono-
, PENSIONS GUIDANCE No. 1
From Mike Cannan, Chief Executive, Electricity Supply Pension Scheme
Personal Pensions-warning
THE Government have decided to allow all employees to have the right to
choose to make their own arrangements for a pension with efl"ect from 6th
April 1988. For some employees, this choice might be possible from 4th
January 1988, but this is not yet certain. Despite what you may have been
told by others, or may have read in the press, you cannot opt before then.
These pension arrangements are called "personal pensions". We know of
certain life assurance companies already selling what they call "personal
pensions", but they are not true personal pensions and cannot be until
1988 . .
Because there is a lot of confusion over personal pensions and
employees are beginning to be approached by pensions salesmen and are
asking questions about the situation, we have decided to write a series of
articles which will try to cover simply-yet factually-the following:What is a personal pension (this article)?
What is the difference between a personal
pension and an occupational pension
scheme such as ours?
3. What does it cost?
4. What benefits do they both provide?
5. Some questions answered.
6. Summary.
Trade Unions agree that personal pensions,
although seemingly attractive to employees,
pose dangers and are not to be encouraged.
Together, we agree that the benefits package
provided by the Electricity Supply Pension
Scheme offers a certainty that the employee
and his family can rely on, whereas personal
pensions will offer a hope, and the actual result
will depend upon how well-or badly-the life
assurance company (or other personal pension
provider) bas invested your money.
1.
2.
As persooal pemiom cannot begiD until April
1988, if you are already in tbe scheme, we would
warn you to be on your guard if anyone tries to
seD you one before tben. DO NOT SIGN ANYTIHNG. H in doubt, contact your Board's PensionOfticer.
WHAT IS A PERSONAL PENSION?
As its name suggests, a personal pension is a
pension arrangement entered into by an individual on a personal basis, unlike the Industry's
Pension Scheme, where a member is part of a
scheme with over 180,000 members. The
Government included in the Social Security
Act 1986 provisions to give employees the right
to make their own pension arrangements
. through a personal pension, even if they were
logue, and Dr. McLennan took
up the point, commenting that
everyone was a little too complacent over safety, and it is
something that must be taken
seriously.
It was the last meeting of the
DCC that the chairman would
attend as a member, for he
would retire before the next one
was due . Roy Fallows expressed
his opinion that the electricity
supply industry, andMANWEB
in particular, was an efficient
organisation working as one
team, and he was proud to have
been a member of it.
The Open Forum was next
on the agenda, but there were
no questions that the LJCC
could answer, so the meeting
closed, and everyone left the
canteen for the marquee and
the food.
in their employer's scheme as a condition of
their employment.
A personal pension will be a contract between
an individual and an investing institution, such
as an insurance company, a building society or
unit trust. If the contract meets the conditions
for such arrangements set out in various
Government Regulations, then it will qualify as
a personal pension. The employee will not
actually need personally to pay anything into it,
but merely let the institution collect a National
Insurance rebate and the Income Tax relief on
that rebate at the end of each year which the
Government have agreed to pay-in total, this
would amount to about 6.5 per cent of pay if
you left the Industry's Pension Scheme to have
your own personal pension.
If you were to choose to take out the contract
with a building society or unit trust, then, upon
retirement, you will have to use all your money
in your pension fund to buy a pension and/or
other pennitted benefits from a life insurance
company. Some of the benefits you buy are laid
down in the Act, e.g., there must be a widow's
benefit provided equal to half the pension you
will get from the fund built up from the N.I.
rebate referred to earlier, and you must also
provide for three per cent pension increases in
the widow's benefit. As we understand the
present proposals under the Act, you will not
be able to provide for children's allowances in
the event of your death (unlike the Industry's
Scheme).
Despite its name, what you are not doing in
arranging a personal pension is actually fixing
up the amount of your pension and other bene. fits, or how they will be calculated. All you are
doing is arrangiDg for an amount of money to
be built up and invested for you. Naturally, out
of that fund, the company with whom you are
saving will expect to charge not only for its
agent's commission, staff salaries, office rents,
etc., but also for its profit, and the balance wijl
. then be available to you on retirement.
With this balance you will be required to buy :
a pension annuity, and the amount of the
annuity will depend on two things-firstly, the :
size of the fund you have accumulated, and,
secondly, what interest rates are at the time .
Thus, with a personal pension, you do not know ~
what you are getting when you make the i
arrangement, and you are relying on the invest- '
ment not only working out well over the time to .
your retirement, but also on the market for
buying an annuity being good when you retire. .
Some insurance companies will give a guaran- . ,
tee, but, when you work out on what the : i
guarantee is based, it will probably turn out to .
be a very low rate of compound interest, such
as two or three per cent. They will quote your
expected benefits on a much higher rate of ~
investment return, but put in the small print ~
that the.i r figures are only estimates.
WHEN DOES IT START?
This part of the Act will not come into force until .
6th April 1988 and so, until then, despite what
may be advertised by insurance companies and
the like, no one can have a pe~ pension.
There was a proposal in the Budget in March
1987 to m6ve this date forward to 4th January
1988 for some employees, but this proposal was
scrapped when the Government called the
General Election. It may well be re-introduced
later this year, but we do not know.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Put simply-NOTlDNG. You cannot even if
you wanted to, until 1988, despite what any
salesman may say. They want to tie you into a
binding agreement now. You may well be
bombarded through the post, etc. , with mailshots urging you to do something before then--but ask yourself why they are so keen for you to
sign up now, and who is going to pay for all the
advertising going on. One thing is for sure-I'm
not!
.
:
t
,
!
CONTACf PageS
-
ENGINEERING EXHIBITION
Chairman Bryan Weston cuts the tape, ceremonially opening the superb Engineering Exhibition, watched by managers and engineers at Clwyd District Office
ENGINEERING EXHIBITION OPENED
.j
~
It's shirt-sleeve order for directors and managers at their conference, before touring the Engineering Exhibition
Engineer Eric Fisher, with manager Terry Brookshaw
SO
PR01
Assistant District Managers John Walker, left, and Bob McMahon, right, and Financial Manager
Alan Wadcock watch engineer Tony Dowd·demonstrate an exhibit
"The Key to the.Future". Engineer John Hampson shows manager Arthur Ellinson
Below : Engineer Barry Harrison, left, with managers Lyn Pri(;e, Teg Williams, Dick Owen and Ken Crabtree, watched by engineer
RexWinnard
Just some ofthe engineers manning the exhibition
SOME men from MANWEB were
attracted to the London Marathon.
Oswestry District's John Burton. a
2nd engineer, raised £267 for leukaemia research. From Head Office
Income section. Dave Fisher raised
£110 for the NSPCC. while Bob
Faulds from Queensferry helped
local charities in Mold.
Brian Middleton from Liverpool
District completed the course. as
did Pat Doyle from Head Office.
Well run. lads! It was a great effort.
MANAGERS'
CONTEST
HOTPOINT WASHER WINNER
A competition for a Hotpoint washing machine was run forthe
opening ofthe Norris Green shop. It brought a massive entry,
and the lucky winner was Mrs. Marie Webber, of Stalisfield
Avenue, Norris Green, Liverpool. Supervisor Peter Jones
congratulates Mrs. Webber, watched by her husband, and
Hotpoint demonstrator Avril Williams
IT seems that there is a contest
between some District Managers to see how many times they
can get in front of the 'CONTACf' camera lens. Bob Hodson , Dee Valley, last month
managed four appearances, but
this month Glyn Norbury has
topped that with five! Wen, they
have been pretty busy in MidMersey.
MANWEB SEVEN-MILE RUN
Mid-Mersey District Manager Glyn Norbury was on hand over the June Bank Holiday weekend to
present prizes in the MANWEB-sponsored seven-mile race at Runcorn. There were in fact two
events, the second being a 7,OOO-metre fun-run. As with Economy 7 the runners received more
than they bar~ained for-the seven miles was 7.7 miles, on police advice for safety reasons. The
winner by qUIte a way was Alistair Houghton, seen here receiving his prize from Glyn Norbury,
right The winning lady was Lynne Kennedy, centre, and runners-up in the prizes were, left to
right: Joe Wycherly, Brian Horrigan, Robert Mitchell and Graham Prescott
THE MANWEB DAY-TRIPPER
Silence is Golborne ,
• CATERCRjl r
in a bain-marie. 1bere are two _ _ __
toilets and a bar. In the stem
section of the boat there are
scats at small tables; in the
adjoining bow section , sectional
sealing is around the sides of
the boat and a table can be
brought in for meal5-it is kept
Go/borne is the flagship of Catercraft Ltd. 's fleet of on the roof. Sliding windows
electric boats . She operates out of Lostock Gralam. Northiv
n 1m I unint rrupt
wil'h . lind 'IIrn ', h ' r 'ustmn ' rs nn two tu fuur hour trip. •
I w hum Ill. Id Ih v . I .
lhe traditionaJJy-constructed
a nd as th ' 'o mpany's name implie ' food is available.
When Mike Cryer took early Boat Company, theyhaveestab- narrowboat plies along the canal
retirement from the Distillers lished their business, providing ' up to and past the Anderton
Company following the take- mea1s afloat for day-trippers or Lift-an industrial masterpiece
which lowered or raised the
over by Guinness, he launched
for chartered parties.
aft 10 and from th
Iw. Ilwn hu in 'S, wilh his son
MI lar pr par d
THE only way to tell that you are on the move is
to watch the canal bank drift slowly by. There is
no noise as Go/borne carries her cargo of daytrippers gently along the Trent and Mersey Canal.
The electrically-powered boat does not vibrateeven the drinks on the bar are without a ripple.
in 1875, it is currently undergoing a repair programme to
Phil Youell, from Mid-Cheshire District, enjoys a glass of wine
return it to its former glory, but ·
served by Jane Hills
money still needs to be found to
complete the work.
Ancient tunnels, double locks
and the Cheshire countryside
are all further wonders for the
passenger to behold. Refreshment ranges from cream teas
for £1.25 to gourmet dinners at
£8.00 a head.
There is room for up to 50
passengers, and wedding parties
and businessmcetings are undertaken by the craft. For 30 or
more, Mike and Andrew will
provide a meal and live musical
entertainment for £4.00 a head.
Champagne breakfast cruises
and folk boat trips with the
.....~...... "Narrowboat Boys" are just a
few of the special trips organised
~~_!tIIi by this enterprising company.
The regular trips on Wednesday and Sunday cost £2.75
for adults and £1.50 for children
1III1II!I1Iii1 and O.A.P.s for a three-hour
journey. Day boats are also
available for hire, with a capacity
of up to 12, and for eight hours
the cost is £35, and the company
can provide you with a packed
lunch.
For a day out with a ditIerence
aboard an electric boat, you
might like to try GoIbo~
Northwich 44672. Bon voyage!
ciation with the Colliery Narrow
·i"...
Above: It's bon voyage for Catercraftfrom lovely Kathy Taylor, of the BBC Holiday '87 programme.
Pictured are Jane Hills, Andrew Cryer, Kathy Taylor and Mike Cryer
Below: Welcoming people on board is Mike Cryer, with MANWEB sales representative Phil Youell
CONTACT Page8
PLAY SAFE AND
LIVE T·O ENJOY
YOUR HOLIDAYS
AS the main holiday season approaches, MANWEB repeats a
"play safe" warning to children and adults alike-keep well clear
of electrical installations and overhead lines.
Every year there are one or stances should anyone venture
two tragedies in different parts into electricity sub-station comof the country, caused by a lack pounds.
Adults should be especially
of caution, as people make the
most of long, light evenings and careful when using long objects
enjoy outdoor pursuits in their such as fishing-rods, CB aerials
and the masts of small boats.
leisure-time.
Parents are urged to make Contact with electricity lines can
sure that their children do not lead to catastrophe.
It is most important that
play anywhere near electricity
sub-stations or transmission people who are holidaymaking
lines. The flying of kites and in unfamiliar surroundingsmodel aircraft can prove to be a especially camping and caravan
hazardous pastime if strings or sites--should make sure that
control wires come into contact there are no overhead lines in
with live lines, and in no circum- the vicinity .
Cup winners, from left to right, standing: Andy Hughes, Callum Nocker, Steve Buswell, John
Townend, Steve Ward, Ian Jones and Mark Harrison. Seated: Martin Lewis, John Kennedy, Brian
Carman (manager), Nigel Crossley (captain), Mike Artell and John Gorman
NalgoCup
Winners
I
A TEAM from Sealand Road foiled Liverpool
Council's bid to complete a hat-trick of wins in
the final of the Nalgo Watter Cup, held this
year at Cheshire County Officers' Club in
Chester.
Liverpool have twice won the national football knockout contest, organised by the-North
West and North Wales Area of Nalgo. There
were 33 teams who started out on the quest to
win the cup, and the winners from MANWEB
never conceded a goal en route to the final.
I
,
I
1
\
CONTACT
It was in the final that they met the Liverpool
team, and it was player-manager Brian Carman
who opened the MANWEB account, with
an electrifying diving header from a Callum
Nocker comer, after only 15 minutes. The rest
of the first half was quite a tussle, but with no
more goals.
Aftei the interval, our opponents hammered
in two goals in as many minutes. With 15
minutes to go, that man Carman slid a John
Kennedy volley into the net, to make it two-all.
With five minutes of normal time remaining,
Mike Artell crashed home the winner from the
edge of the penalty area.
It was a delighted two-goal hero and playermanager Brian Carman who commented: "That
was quite a match. They were a good, physical
and skilful side, and we did well to beat them. "
FREE
CLANG!
ONE of our pages got away
from us last month, and there
were numerous errors in the
captions. In the main, they
got crossed and placed with
the wrong picture. It would
AFTER receiving two defeats
at the hands of the Electricity
Council Research Centre ,
Capenhurst, our Head Office
fly-fishing team came back to
defeat their rivals soundly at a
competition staged at Mickle
Trafford. The MANWEB team
netted a total of 39 lbs. 2 OZS.,
while Capenhurst could only
manage 23 lbs. 1 oz.
The salver awarded to the
angler landing the heaviest single
fish was retained for MANWEB
by Barry Harrison (Plant and
Construction) who was justifiably "over the moon" with his
fish of 8lbs. 15 ozs. Prize for the
heaviest bag by a contestant
from MANWEB went to Keith
Griffiths (Dee Valley), with
four fish, for 6lbs. 120zs.
In National Team
WE send our congratulations
to Harry Wyn Owen, of Gwynedd District, who qualified for
membership of the 1988 Welsh
Fly Fishing Team, after taking
part in the Spring Trials at Llyn
Trawsfynydd.
ADS
CYCLE - Boy's Puch racer. TOURING CARAVAN-Ace
FOR SALE
Suit 13/14-yr-old. Five gears. Diplomat 1984. Two-berth,
AIR PISTOL - Webley Tem- Fully maintained. Good con- fridge, full cooker, heating,
pest. .22 calibre, with pellets. dition. £45 o.n.o. Tel: 0925 double glazing and awning.
As new. £40. Tel: HO internal 34738.
Excellent condition . £2,500.
2663 (Steve).
48K SPECTRUM-With over Tel: Aberystwyth internal 92
(D. Bennion).
100 games, including £160LEATHER JACKET - Black,
worth of originals, with four
MOTOR VEHICLES
40-ins. chest. Nearly new.
cassette racks. Tel: 0925 " LADA-W reg . 1600 saloon.
Cost £100, sell £60 o.n.o. Tel:
34738 (Mrs. B. BarloW).
40,000 miles. Very reliable. In
051-9339221 (A. Quinn).
CAMPING STOVE - Grillo regular use. £650 o.n.o. Tel:
FRAME TENT - 4/5-berth,
Gaz. Used once. As new. £45. 051-6393294 (Ray Smith).
with canopy (no tent pegs).
Tel:02863614(Mrs.Williams). NISSAN MICRA - 1.0 GL,
£50. Tel: 051-644 2521 or
auto, B reg. Met. silver. One
CARAVAN - 28 ft., sited at
North Wirral internal 2125
careful lady owner. Garage
Formby, eight-berth, double
(Phyllis Holmes).
maintained . 16,000 miles.
doors, full cooker, end bed£3,500. Tel: Nantwich shop
RIDING BOOTS - Size 8. - room, two bunk beds, dress(Sheila Thomas) or 0270
Worn once. £20. Tel: HO in- ing-room, fitted wardrobes.
668410 (after 6 p.m.).
ternal 2181 or 0244 534393 Very clean. £2,550. Tel: 051(Joan).
2284393 (Mr. J. K. Cook).
HOUSES
PLEASE PRINT YOUR FREE AD. ON THIS COUPON
OR ON PLAIN PAPER
(BLOCK CAPS PLEASE)
have to be the course for
foremen at Burton Manorthe men who are the backbone ofMANWEB (he says,
trying to creep back into
favour!). Seriously, we do
apologise for the errors. it
was entirely our fault for not
checking the page-proof.Editor.
Sweet Revenge
for Head Office
I
I
WARRINGTON - Beautiful
4-bed. det. house. Through
lounge, dining area, fullyfitted
mahogany kitchen, groundfloor toilet.and upstairs bathroom, fully tiled . Private wellstocked gardens to front and
rear. Quiet cul-de-sac, with
easy access to motorway network. £47,750 freehold . Tel:
0925 824084 or 53039.
MISCELLANEOUS
KIDDIES' PARTY? - Let the
Silly Billies entertain while '
you relax. Tel: 051-9245708
(Lorraine).
ANIMAL BOARDING
"KATERAMA" cats boarding
home. Licensed by Halton
-Council. Vet approved. Halegate Farm, Halegate Road,
Halebank, Widnes. Tel: 051, 4253930 (A. Berrington).
BOARDING KENNELS-And
Cattery. Ewloe. First-class
accommodation, full central
htg., individual runs, twicedaily exercise. Tel: Hawarden
532742.
HOLIDAYS
: ABERYSTWYTH - Six-berth
caravans to let from £35 a
: week (less 10 per cent discount for electricity supply
staff and theirfamilies). Mains
electricity, cooker, 'fridge and
: private toilet. Site facilities
include a clubhouse, swim_ming pool, sauna, shop/res' tau rant and children's play
area. Within easy walking
distance from beach and town
centre. Tel 0970 3596 after
5.00 p.m. (Tomos Davies).
TO LET-New luxury six-berth park. Terms from £62 to £75
caravan on West Wales site, per week for BB & EM. MANwith a variety of amenities. , WEB staff, past and present,
30 miles from Aberystwyth. most welcome. Send s.a.e.
Fitted kitchen and shower , for broChure. MfKe r,easanrs,
room. Families only. Tel: 0492
68 253 (evenings only).
CRICCIETH--House overlooking village green. Sleeps six.
Colour TV. Beach and shops
two minutes away. Tel 076671
2614 (Ann Tudor).
LLANBERIS-S/c holiday flat,
spacious, modern, H & C all
bedrooms, lounge, CTV, parking . Tel: 0286871097 after 5
p.m . (Joan Williams).
LLANDUDNO-' April Court'
small private hotel. Good
food, friendly atmosphere.
Quiet position, yet close to
town, beaches, etc. Children
welcome. Parking. Discount
15 per cent for electricity industry staff and pensioners.
Tel: 049277898.
NEWOUAY, Comwall--Guest I S.w. FRANCE-Touring carahouse specialising in good vans to let. Mains water/elecfood, comfort and friendli- tricity. Four-star site, swimness. Sea views, two minutes ming pools, restaurant, all
from beautiful beaches. Quiet facilities. Tel: 0270766675
area close to town. Own car (Ian Linford).
THE SPORTING CHANCES
J~AT5 4-NIL !!
NoW YOU'LL SEE
WHAT ReAL
FOOTBALl.
Fulmar, 43 Pentire Avenue,
Newquay,CornwaIlTR71PB,
or telephone 0637874291 .
, PORTHMADOG - Holiday
: bungalow, sleeps six. Black
Rock Sands five minutes'
: drive; convenient Ffestiniog
Rly, Snowdonia National Pk.
, For information: C. Jones, 2
Meadow Drive, Porthmadog.
- Tel: 07662519.
RHYL-Six-berth caravan on
Pines Caravan Park. Electric,
gas, mains water. Bathroom
and bedroom. CTV. Club and
I shop. Tel: 051-526 6657 (L.
W.James).
_SOMERSET-Mod. spacious
ground-floor flat in Berrow
village on Somerset coast.
Tel: 0278786899.
by Mitch
-rHIS 1$ 6OINo
'-0
B€ A
WALKOVeR!
MATEI
Name:
Work place (or retired) .................... .............. ... .. ....
Send to: 'CONTACT' FREE ADS, MANWEB,
SEALAND ROAD, CHESTER CH1 4LR.
I
o
PlI1CH .
Published by the Merseyside and Nonh Wale~ Electricity Board, Head Office. Sealand Road, Chester. CHI 4LR. and printed by W. H _ Evans & Sons .. Knutsford Way, Sealand Road Trading Estate , Chester CHI 4NS